30 Vintage Photos That Took It Way Too Far

Everybody has to start somewhere. These now famous movie icons had to go through the audition process like everyone else. Casting director Mali Finn’s collection of routine polaroids is a regular who’s who of future Hollywood stars. During her career, Finn was responsible for casting so of the biggest stars in some of the biggest career-making roles.

This was back in the days, when skateboarding was sort of new. So every TV show tried to tie into the craze. Even Wonder Woman who apparently needed to wear a helmet. Spoiler Alert: In the end, everyone goes out for pizza.

Here is the star of Sophie’s Choice back in 1966 when she was a varsity high school cheerleader on the Bernards High School Mountaineers squad in Summit, New Jersey.

Early Billy Joel was kind of cool. Here he is back in 1974 hanging out next to a sign being ironic.

Before she was Foxy Brown, actress Pam Grier was a young beauty queen. Grier was the very first African American woman to star in an action movie. In the 70s, she was dubbed queen of the blaxplotation genre due to her roles in Coffy, Black Mama White Mama, and of course, Foxy Brown.

Remember when maps were made of paper and didn’t talk to tell you the way? Back in old-timey days, the concept of a GPS did no exist. During the 1970s, lost motorists had to pull out a map or stop at a gas station to ask directions. Now, all that’s been replaced by a soothing voice on your phone that tells you where to go.

As far as being a supermodel goes, Kathy Ireland always hits a home run. Not only did she appear in 13 consecutive Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, but Ireland also has a current net worth of $420 million. She also has her own company and has appeared in mutiple TV shows and movies.

Before the Iron Curtain came down, you had to wait in line for everything in Russia. Though the 1980 arrival of McDonald’s in the Soviet Union didn’t change everything overnight, it was a shape of things to come. It was estimated that 30,000 people waited outside the American fast food chain and paid the equivalent of several days’ wages for Big Macs, shakes, and french fries.

This 1989 flop features Patrick Swayze, Liam Neeson, Adam Baldwin, Bill Paxton a.k.a. Chet from Weird Science and even Ben Stiller.

Talk about some crazy, unnatural measurements. Betty Brosmer was a bodybuilder, fitness instructor, and pinup model. She was the highest paid supermodel of the 1950s and won more than 50 beauty contests before the age of 20 yrs. Her measurements were 38-18-36.

This was one crazy Hollywood power-couple. At 21, Houston left her modelling career and moved from New York to Los Angeles where she met and immediately fell in love with Nicholson. Their relationship lasted 17-years and ended after Nicholson told Houston he was having a child with a younger woman.

Dated from 1974, this mug shot of Willie Nelson was taken by the Dallas Police Department for possession of marijuana. The musician first landed himself in jail for marijuana possession in Dallas in 1974. He was arrested again in 2010 in Sierra, Texas. After that arrest, Nelson created the TeaPot party under the motto “Tax it, regulate it and legalize it!”

The pair is pictured visiting Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco for the “Summer of Love” in 1967. Georges has said that this was a defining moment when he knew the hippie movement was over.

In the 70’s, Studio 54 was the nightclub to go to in NYC if you were rich and famous. It was a drug-fueled, dancing frenzy for the likes of Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger, Cher, Liza Minnelli, and Michael Jackson. The premise was simple, a velvet rope separated the undesirables from entering the club  – while the famous and beautiful partied inside. Here’s a shot of mother/daughter Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis inside the legendary club.

Even scary movie monsters get thirsty. Here’s actor Tony Moran – taking a break from slashing people on set to clown around with an ice cold Dr. Pepper.

Early Bob Dylan was the coolest. A champion for the people, on July 2nd, 1963, Dylan and folk singer Pete Seeger performed in a cotton field in Greenwood, Mississippi – as part of a civil rights voter registration rally. Pictured above is Dylan playing on the back porch of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) office – which was one of the major Civil Rights Movement organizations of the ’60s.

Actress Emily Banks is best known for her role as Yeoman Tonia Barrows on the 1966 “Shore Leave” episode of the original Star Trek series. But Banks also appeared on episodes of Dragnet, Love American Style, Fantasy Island, Bewitched, Airwolf, and Highway to Heaven. She got her start in 1960 when she was elected Miss Rheingold and appeared in ads and promotions for Rheingold Beer.

Catherine Bach was one of the queens of the 70s and 80s. Her role as Daisy Duke on the Southern redneck TV show, The Dukes of Hazzard made her, and her legs, famous. Back in the day, she had her famous legs insured for $1 million. Recently Bach spoke out about Hollywood’s obsession with being skinny and body image. She pointed out that she was slim during her heyday on Hazzard because she was an athlete and not from starving herslef. She kept herself in shape during her Daisy Duke days by dancing three hours a day, hiking, and swimming.

Bruce Lee was such a badass. But every star has to learn from someone; Ip Man was a Cantonese martial artist and a master teacher of Wing Chun, who taught him his tricks. Sadly Ip died in 1972 from throat cancer, only seven months before the death of his prized student.

Here the rich, hunky, son of a president enjoying the weather during the 1980s Labor Day Weekend at Hyannis Beach, Massachusetts. JFK Jr. was born in 1960, two weeks after his father was elected president. His childhood nickname was “John-John,” which made reporter think they were mishearing JFK when he called him “John” twice in quick succession.

This looks like a scene straight out of a TV show. Here’s a man who takes leisure to a whole new level as he rides on top of a pile of mattresses in Atlanta traffic. Apparently, driver safety codes in 1968 weren’t as strict as they are today.

The 1968 sci-fi classic, with screenplay by Rod Serling, has the best twist ending of all time – when astronaut Heston sees the submerged Statue of Liberty – and realizes he’s been on earth this whole time. (Sorry for the spoiler.)

Janis Joplin is the most famous person to ever come out of Port Arthur, Texas. Last year, her childhood home in Port Arthur was up for sale. It was originally listed at $500,000 but was reduced to $200,000; despite being appraised at $52,500. I guess no one wants to live in Port Arthur; not even in a music icons former home.

Times have changed. Back in the 60s, the role of women was largely seen by society as being a housewife, taking care of the home, and making sure you looked pretty for your husband when he comes home from work which also meant putting on curlers and shopping for their husband’s chicken pot pie dinner.

Yes, Tom Hanks was a guest star on Happy Days where he appeared as an old nemesis of ‘Fonzie’ seeking revenge. The episode is called: A Little Case Of Revenge. It aired in 1982 as part of the show’s 10th season. Hanks plays a character who returns to settle a 17-year grudge with Fonzi – concerning a beef when The Fonz  pushed him off a swing when they were youngsters.

What a trio. This photo was taken in 1978,  around the time when Mick Jagger recorded with Peter Tosh on the song: Don’t Look Back. This photo was actually taken backstage at a Rolling Stones concert at the Palladium in New York on June 19th, 1978. Reggae was a big influence on the Rolling Stone.

Why does it not seem so hard to believe that this motley pair, and a kitten, would be hitchhiking on route to a Willie Nelson concert in Austin, Texas? Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic attracted a wholesome crowd such as this pair.

Long before we all had iPhones, the only way to send a message to your friends was to pass them a note and hope the teacher doesn’t catch you. One secret spy way to pass a note was to write a note on a piece of paper small enough to fit inside the cap of a pen. Then roll up the paper and place it inside of the pen.

Louie Armstrong was America’s ambassador of jazz. In 1962, Armstrong visited Guantanamo Bay Naval Station as part of his tour for the troops. I don’t know who carried his bags on that trip.

Yes, Raquel Welch audition for the role of girl-next-door, Mary Anne. She probably didn’t get the part because she was too sexy and not enough girl-next-door.

Source: Groovyhistory